L R. HURST photography by KATHRYN GILL dedicates countless hours to practice and training at home with his dad. “Pushing myself in practice helps me become tougher mentally, so when it’s game time I’m ready to go.” Under pressure, he fo-cuses on being the best teammate possible. This season Ethan is aiming for his baseball team to make it back to state. “I think we have it in us to be the best Fulton baseball team in school history.” Providing unwavering support and belief in his abil-ities, Coach Danny Hill has played a significant role in his development, along with Ethan’s parents, Eric and Melissa. They have been a driving force behind his success by pushing him to work hard and stay focused. Eric and Melissa reflect on how proud they are of him. “Ethan has been a focused athlete since he was young. He always seemed to excel in sports and had a competitive nature. The work that he has put in behind the scenes over the last 4 years has been incredible. We are incredibly proud of him not only for his achievements in sports, but for keeping his grades up.” Fulton community holds a special spot in his heart. His competitive journey was influenced by the dads in the community -their willingness to coach a youth team. “People here genuinely care about how I’m doing in sports.” Outside of sports, Ethan enjoys fly fishing, gaming with friends, and visiting family in Michigan and Colorado. Looking ahead, Ethan hopes to embody his par-ents’ work ethic into college and beyond. “My family gave up a lot to help me achieve my goals in sports.” He aims to leave a legacy so that people remem-ber him as a hardworking player who achieved his dream of playing college baseball. After high school, Ethan will continue both his academic and athletic pursuits at Lindenwood University, where he’ll play baseball and explore his future career path. His journey may have begun in the backyard, but his athletic career and dreams are far from stay-ing there. 5
Sports Locker November/December 2024: Page 5
